This article takes a strongly empirical approach. It adds to knowledge of differences in job satisfaction between European countries, and in particular how job satisfaction varies by migration status and by gender. In line with several influential studies of migration, this study adopts a ‘double comparative design’, where there are multiple destination countries, and with people coming from a large number of countries. The data are from the European Social Survey (ESS). It is a repeated cross-sectional survey that aims to be representative of the populations in a large number of European countries.

Migrants did generally report lower levels of job satisfaction than non-migrants. Naturally some of this difference related to lower levels of qualifications, and perhaps to discrimination against particular groups of migrants. Migrants did generally report lower levels of job satisfaction than non-migrants. Naturally some of this difference related to lower levels of qualifications, and perhaps to discrimination against particular groups of migrants. For women, both generations experienced a deficit in job satisfaction. This may reflect changing expectations of work among men, and integration for women, across generations, and contrasts with the convergence in earnings over time. The country of origin, within Europe, did not seem to be associated with levels of job satisfaction.

Abstract

Intra-European migrants reported lower job satisfaction levels than native workers, in three rounds of the European Social Survey. This deficit was also experienced by their descendants (the second generation), despite the latter generation achieving native levels of household income. At least some part of these lower levels of job satisfaction was associated with a clustering into lower-productivity industries. There are striking gender differences in experiences: among men the first generation is just as likely to be satisfied with their jobs as the ‘native’ population, whilst it is the second generation who are less likely to achieve job satisfaction. For women, both generations experienced a deficit in job satisfaction. This may reflect changing expectations of work among men, and integration for women, across generations, and contrasts with the convergence in earnings over time. The country of origin, within Europe, did not seem to be associated with levels of job satisfaction.